Welcome to a new intermittent King of States! series, “Things That Are Stuck in My Craw.”*
First, the Setup!
A cop pulls the trigger of his gun. The bullet that exits hits a 12-year-old boy, who later dies of his injuries. A police report helpfully explains that “bullets were fired.”
Now, the Part Where Something Gets Stuck in My Craw!
We can discuss whether the cop was justified in shooting the boy**, but please, let’s start from a place of acknowledgement that that is what happened. If you don’t think your officer has done anything wrong and has nothing to cover up, don’t use the cowardly passive voice to explain how bullets just happened to fly out of his gun — you know, the gun he was holding, and whose trigger he actively decided to pull.
He shot and killed a 12-year-old, and if that makes you uncomfortable, it should. The bullets are not the subject of this particular sentence; the bullet is not an independent actor, and its motivation is not up for debate. Look: you can clearly see my eyes, over which no wool has been pulled.
Thus ends the first installment.
(Oh, also, did I mention that the 12-year-old child was black? I know it’s shocking to think that a black youth would be the target of unjustified police violence here in the US of A, but sometimes we must confront impossible truths.)
(Also no one is shocked.)
*Yes, I do realize that the title for the entire blog could be “Things That Are Stuck in My Craw,” and that would be completely accurate.
**Okay, but really, we can’t, because: 12-year-old boy.
King of States! 
I haven’t heard about this. Do you mind linking me to some sort of news article where I can see what’s going on? I think I saw another WordPress article about this or something like it, but they didn’t provide a link either. I really need to keep up on my news, don’t I?
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The boy’s name is one of the categories — if you Google it, you’ll find no end of articles.
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Okay, thanks, sorry, I didn’t notice that.
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It’s always the coverng up and less than honest statements that make me mad. I understand police officers get caught up in tough situations. But when the flat out lying starts, I get mad. It’s is a terrible situation made even worse by bs.
I have no time for wool or excrement.
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Reblogged this on i want to go to there..
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Language is a powerful tool and I believe that not only do we shape language, but language shapes us! When such statements such as “shots were fired” are made, it is not only ambiguous but insulting. A travesty minimized.
I often find things that are stuck in my craw are not only the actions, but the follow up and the reporting. I couldn’t help but notice how the officers reacted after the shooting, one wandering around until he finally kicked the corpse, the shooter bent over the back of the car, no immediate call for an ambulance.
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If I was in close proximity to you right now, I’d give you a big high 5!!!!!! Great post.
BE
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